Did somebody say Future Decoded?

Heading to Future Decoded? Here’s what you can expect

It’s nearly here, the biggest event of the year, Future Decoded! Myself and the rest of the IT Pro team here at Microsoft are looking forward to the prospect of seeing you at ExCel London for the Technical Day on November 11th. The day is packed full of fascinating talks from some incredibly talented people. Tickets for the day have already sold out, but don’t worry if you missed your chance to attend as we’ll have articles from the day shortly after it concludes. Be sure to follow @TechNetUK for live-tweeting and pictures on the day!

Keynote Speakers

The Technical Day has seven fantastic keynote speakers, and they will be discussing topics ranging from artificial intelligence to the Internet of Things. We’ll also have the wonderful Andrew Spooner on-stage between talks to provide introductions, and maybe even a joke or two! Here’s a rundown of what you can expect on the day:

Chris Bishop is a Distinguished Scientist at Microsoft Research Cambridge, where he leads the Machine Learning and Perception group. He is also Vice President of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, and Professor of Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh.

Kevin Ashton, Inventor of the “Internet of Things”

Kevin Ashton led pioneering work on RFID networks, for which he coined the term “the Internet of Things,” and co-founded the Auto-ID Center at MIT. His writing about innovation and technology has appeared in Quartz, Medium, The Atlantic, and the New York Times.

Graham Cluley, Security Analyst

Graham Cluley is an award-winning security blogger, researcher and public speaker. He has been a well-known figure in the computer security industry since the early 1990s when he worked as a programmer, writing the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows.

David Chappell, Principal at Chappell & Associates

Through his speaking, writing, and consulting, he helps people around the world understand, use, and make better decisions about new technology. David has been the keynote speaker for more than a hundred conferences and events on five continents, and his seminars have been attended by tens of thousands of IT leaders, architects, and developers in fifty countries.

Krysta Svore, Senior Researcher Microsoft Research

Krysta is passionate about quantum computation and determining how to better solve problems on a quantum computer. Her research focuses on quantum algorithms and how to implement them on a quantum device, from how to code them in a high-level programming language, to how to optimize the resources they require, to how to implement them in hardware.

Professor Brian Cox, Physicist

Arguably the UK's best known physicist, Professor Brian Cox's books and TV programmes have been read and watched around the world and credited with making science engaging and accessible to millions. He is Professor of Particle Physics at Manchester University and a key part of the ATLAS and the CERN Large Hadron Collider projects.

Breakout Sessions

Breakout sessions begin after lunch, with a whopping 33 sessions across 11 different tracks you can attend. Each of these sessions are hosted by leading UK Microsoft Researchers and Most Valued Professionals, covering areas such as data and internet of things, as well as Microsoft technologies like Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus deployment. Each session will last 50 minutes, and there’ll be a short break between each one to allow you to change location, if you fancy moving to another track.

Alongside these are the Grok talks, which will be held in the main expo area. There are two tracks featuring a total of eight sessions, and they last for 20 minutes each. These talks are designed to be packed full of information on a variety of different topics, allowing you to get as much as you possibly can out of Future Decoded. The speakers come from a variety of companies, and topics include game engines, cloud services and fast cars!

More details on the sessions will be released soon, so we’ll be sure to keep you up to date!

The Expo Hall

Alongside Microsoft products and technologies, numerous tech companies will be in attendance with booths in the expo hall. This a fantastic opportunity to do a little networking, as well as a chance to get a glimpse at what’s in store in the near future.

As well as the main stage and expo booths, there will also be a few places to sit down and relax for a bit, such as the Networking Bar. There will also be some interesting areas you might not expect to see, and we’ll have more to share with you on these soon!

Hopefully you’re looking forward to Future Decoded just as much as we are, and if you’re attending the tech day be sure to say hello!